Veronica Mars: fresh life for Mars

Pick of the day: Veronica Mars, streaming on Stan.

Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars, streaming on Stan.

Pick of the day: Veronica Mars, streaming on Stan.

You would be amazed how many highly intelligent adults sheepishly confess to having a secret addiction to teen television dramas of one sort or another. This year Riverdale on Netflix frequently has been mentioned, but a few years ago it might have been Veronica Mars, the series about a teenager moonlighting as a private detective, which recently has arrived on streaming service Stan with all three seasons.

Veronica Mars was the proving ground for some serious talent, most notably star Kristen Bell. Bell, who went on to voice Anna in Disney’s Frozen and starred in, among other projects, 2008’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall, currently is starring in the excellent comedy The Good Place (Netflix), just renewed for a third season. And Veronica Mars’creator, Rob Thomas, has gone on to great success with iZombie, as well as the quirky comedy Party Down (both also on Stan).

But the show’s ardent fans are perhaps its most noteworthy aspect. Long before Netflix began saving cult hits from cancellation, when Mars was axed after three seasons in 2007 a Kickstarter crowd-funding project raised nearly $US6 million to make a well-received Veronica Mars film.

And it may not be over yet. Bell recently commented on the prospect of a new series: “It’s going to happen”, adding that she and Thomas emailed regularly to advance the project.

In other streaming news, Amazon Prime Video announced yesterday an international output agreement with AMC Studios (creator of Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead) to stream all its new series, including the Ridley Scott-produced The Terror premiering next year. Based on a true story, it tells the tale of a British Royal Navy expedition through the Northwest Passage that is beset by a mysterious predator. It will star Ciaran Hinds (Justice League), Tobias Menzies (Game of Thrones, Outlander) and Jared Harris (The Expanse, The Crown). Definitely one to look out for.